Givenchy Menswear Fall 2010

Jesus loves me
This I know
Because the House of Givenchy
Told me so.

FWD:

"They say that religion and politics don’t, or should not, mix. But what about religion and fashion? Well, in the hands of Givenchy’s designer Riccardo Tisci it can lead to all sorts of witty and thought-provoking fashion, especially for men, as he showed Friday night, Jan. 22, in Paris.

Many looks in the Fall 2010 show featured a golden crown of thorns, albeit worn as a necklace, in the latest collection that tapped into Tisci’s religious and historical obsessions. The very fact that he and a French fashion house evoked the suffering of Christ before an audience of 300 in Paris said quite a lot about current European zeitgeist and debates about integrating Islamic communities into Western Europe, especially at a time when the French parliament is debating a law to ban the wearing of burkhas."

We'll get to our thoughts in a minute. For now, take a look:

Okay, our reactions are a bit disjointed but we'll try and sum them up. We both love the bare, stripped-down, ascetic quality of the collection. There are quite a few really beautiful pieces in there. The skinny pants/strappy sandals combo is a great look, modern and strangely ancient-looking at the same time. As for the skirts, Tom thinks they look utterly ridiculous. Lorenzo says if he was 20, he'd wear them. Tom looks at Lorenzo like he's nuts and asks, "With black shiny tights and strappy sandals? Good luck getting laid." But even Lorenzo admits that the styling in that instance is a teeny bit much.

And speaking of a teeny bit much, there was on our parts a tendency to roll our eyes at the concept of Jesus on the runway because it's been done and it doesn't really have the power to shock anymore. On the other hand, in light of France's religious squabbles, it makes more sense. A Jesus runway show in America would be featured every night on FOX News for a month, but it means something very different here. So it took us a second, but we came around to the idea, especially since it's not so much a Jesus show as it is a show playing with the themes of religious austerity.

Besides, even Jesus would say "Verily, that skirt and tights combo does suck."

[Photos: Catwalking.com/Getty Images]


Post a Comment